


Home, Chapter 5

by anxiety_junkie



Category: Firefly
Genre: M/M, Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-07-06
Updated: 2006-07-06
Packaged: 2019-04-29 09:47:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,622
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14470026
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anxiety_junkie/pseuds/anxiety_junkie
Summary: Note from alice ttlg, the archivist: this story was originally archived atFirefly’s Glow, and was moved to the AO3 as part of the Open Doors project in 2018.  I tried to reach out to all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are the creator and would like to claim this work, please contact me using the e-mail address onFirefly's Glow collection profile.





	Home, Chapter 5

**Author's Note:**

> Note from alice ttlg, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [Firefly’s Glow](https://fanlore.org/wiki/Firefly%27s_Glow), and was moved to the AO3 as part of the Open Doors project in 2018. I tried to reach out to all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are the creator and would like to claim this work, please contact me using the e-mail address on [Firefly's Glow collection profile](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/fireflysglow/profile).

Home, Chapter 5

## Home, Chapter 5

They had reached Greenleaf, and Mal, Zoe, and Jayne had left before local dawn to close the deal. Simon and River sat in the common area off the galley, both pretending to be patient as they waited for the others to return. Wash was in the cockpit as usual when his wife was out on a job, Inara was in her shuttle, and Book had left when unable to draw either sibling into conversation. River was trying to read a book, but Simon wasn't even attempting to look busy; he simply sat, jiggling one leg nervously and staring off into space. 

He knew he should be trying to organize a speech, figure out what he wanted to say to his parents, but nothing would come. All he could think about were the last words his father had said to his face; 'You end up here, or get mixed-up in something worse, you're on your own. I will not come for you.' It echoed over and over, alternating with images from Osiris: his bedroom in his parents house, sitting through a dinner party while servants moved around unobtrusively, a lecture hall at MedAcad. He took a deep breath, trying to control his spinning thoughts, but his mind refused to settle. 

River finally put down the book and sighed. "Will you please stop, ge ge? You're driving me up the gorram wall." He looked over at her in surprise, having almost forgotten she was there. "Your thoughts are so loud I can't read." 

"You've been hanging around Jayne too much, you didn't used to swear." 

She raised an eyebrow. "Who's been hanging around Jayne too much?" Simon blushed, then chuckled a bit ruefully. "Better. They'll be back in two hours forty-three minutes, have to find something to do." 

"I know, I know. But I already reorganized the infirmary this week, and Mal hasn't been in there looking for something lately, so everything's still where I left it." River giggled, and Simon smiled at her, feeling better than he had all day. 

"Could always move your things to Jayne's bunk." When he opened his mouth to argue that he hadn't the right, she said, "Did say it's your bunk now too. Plural. Denotes joint ownership. He won't get mad." 

"Are you sure?" She gave him her patented disgusted-little-sister look, and he snorted. "Of course you are. Okay, I'll do it, if only to get you off my back." 

"Good." River put the book on the table and stood up. "Gonna go see Inara. Meet you in the cargo bay when they get back." She skipped off, the hair she had refused to cut in two years floating behind her. He'd threatened more than once to just sneak up on her with a pair of shears, but the last time he did she had kicked him in the shin, so he hadn't brought it up again. 

Simon went to his old bunk as ordered, and began pulling his things out of drawers. Part of him felt like he was abandoning River by moving to the other end of the ship, but she hadn't had any screaming nightmares for over six months, since before he and Jayne started their relationship. Her last full-blown fit had been several weeks before that, so he knew she didn't really need him hovering anymore. But his over-protectiveness had become habit, one that he still wasn't sure he wanted to give up. 

He put everything on the bed, amazed at how little he actually owned; his clothing was the largest pile, but even Jayne had more shirts than he did. A few small books of poetry, toiletry items, his encyclopedia, and that was all. Almost nothing to show that he had lived in this room for nearly the same length of time he'd spent in any dorm room in MedAcad. Since the pile was so small he carried it in his arms, leaving the suitcase under the bed. When he got to the crew quarters, he put his armload down on the deck and climbed into the bunk, then froze in shock. 

The pictures of the naked girls were gone. The weapons were racked on the other side of the room, away from the bed, which was neatly made. And there was an empty drawer hanging open in the small chest Jayne used to store his clothes. Simon put his things away in a daze, wondering briefly when the real Jayne had been replaced with a thoughtful, considerate doppelganger. 

* * *

The captain and the others returned in precisely the amount of time River had predicted, though 'stumbled back' might have been a better term; blood was dripping from Mal's nose and Jayne sported a black eye. Zoe, of course, showed no marks but was walking with a noticeable limp. "What the di yu?" Simon yelped when he saw them. "I thought this was supposed to go smooth?" 

"Yeah, well, never does seem to when Badger's involved, does it?" Mal replied, following the doctor to the infirmary. Jayne hopped up onto the medbed and Zoe sat on the bench, but Mal remained standing with his usual lack of regard for his own comfort. 

"Captain, pinch your nose and tilt your head down," Simon directed as he handed a coldpack to Jayne for his eye. "And what happened to you?" he asked Zoe. 

"Got kicked in the shin," she said with a disgusted look on her face. Simon tried hard not to smile as he handed her another coldpack. 

"Told ya can't trust no one that brings his doxy to a meet. What the hell was that hundan thinkin' anyways? Don't he know Badger strung up the last guy who double-crossed him?" Jayne held the coldpack to his face and swallowed the pain pills Simon passed to him. 

"Quit harpin' on it, Jayne, we got paid and that's what matters. Doc," he said, turning to Simon, "we're still gonna wave your parents, but can we give it a couple of hours? I need to stop this bleedin' and clean up." 

"Of course, Captain. In fact, that may actually be better, since any guests they might have would be gone by then. We'll be ready when you are," Simon replied, clearing up what little mess had been made. 

Mal and Zoe left, but Jayne stayed on the medbed, and when Simon came close he reached over and goosed him, grinning when he jumped. "So, did ya find your present?" 

"You mean the bunk? Yes, I...I moved my things in, if that's alright -" 

Jayne grabbed his hand and pulled him close. "Said it was our bunk now, didn't I?" He moved his hands to Simon's hips. "Seem kinda twitchy. You nervous 'bout talkin' to your parents?" 

Simon huffed out a laugh, running his hands along Jayne's shoulders. "You could say that. All I can think about is the last thing he said to me. He told me if I got into trouble again, he wouldn't help me. He said I was on my own. Now he knows everything I said about River was true; the fact that he spoke to the military oversight committee in the first place means he has to have believed it. But what do I say? 'Hi dad, your daughter's really crazy and your son's a criminal. How have the last two years been for you?'" He leaned forward and put his forehead against the merc's. "I just don't know." 

Jayne dropped a quick kiss on his lips. "Ya know I -" he stopped and cleared his throat, hoping he didn't stick his foot in his mouth like usual. "Ya know I'm here, right?" 

Simon gave him a brilliant smile, and leaned in to deepen the kiss. "Yeah, Jayne, I know." 

* * *

"Okay, here's how this is gonna go. Simon, River, you'll go with me and Jayne to the wave booth. It's only a few steps from the ship, so if we gotta run for it we should be okay. Zoe and Book, I want you on rearguard, keepin' an eye out for Feds or anyone with blue hands." Mal gave River a quick squeeze around the shoulders when she shuddered. "Kaylee and Wash will stay on the ship, and I wanna be off this rock as soon as we're all back, so keep her hot. Zoe didn't hear anything on Persephone to say this is a trap, but we ain't takin' any chances. Everybody clear?" He nodded once sharply when they indicated their assent. "Then let's do this." 

"Be careful," Inara called from the catwalk above, and River turned and waved to her. 

They left the ship with Mal on point, looking for all the 'verse as if he was just going for a stroll. Simon and River walked together behind him holding hands, Jayne on Simon's other side with his hand on his shoulder. The booth was only about ten yards from the docking slip, and Simon felt a rush of relief that he didn't have to let Serenity out of his sight. 

The siblings crowded into the small booth, and Mal and Jayne ranged themselves on either side of the door, leaving it open for a quick getaway. It was a typical public booth with transparent walls, and Jayne made sure he was on the side where Simon could see him while facing the screen. Hands shaking, Simon punched in his parent's wave code, vaguely surprised he still remembered it. 

The display went dark, then cleared, and his mother's face stared out at him from the scratched screen. She looked older, just as his father had, with dark circles under her eyes and more gray in her hair then he remembered. Suddenly recognizing them, she gasped, putting her hand to her mouth. "Simon? Wo de ma, River?" 

"Hello mother. How are you?" He felt so inane asking that question, but couldn't think of anything else to start with. 

Regan Tam had begun to cry, but she turned and cried out, "Gabriel! Come quickly!" She turned back to the screen, but now she was smiling. "I can't believe...it's really you, isn't it?" 

"Yes, it's us. We received father's message several days ago, and decided it was time to contact you." River was trembling where he had his hand on her back, and he felt a spike of worry that she wouldn't be able to deal with this. She picked up the emotion, and took his other hand to squeeze it. 

"Are you...are you alright?" Gabriel came up behind his wife, a stunned look on his face, but she continued to speak. "We heard so many things..." Regan visibly took hold of herself. "How are you doing?" 

Simon replied, "We're fine. Actually, we're doing well. We have good friends now, and River is getting better every day." River lifted her chin and looked directly at her father, who dropped his eyes. "Father, everything I said about what was happening to River? It was all true, and even worse than I thought. They hurt her, in ways you can't begin to imagine. I had no choice but to run and take her with me." 

"We know, son. When I spoke to the oversight committee...well, let's just say I found out some things." He met his son's eyes. "I'm not proud of what I said to you that last day, Simon. I should have known that you wouldn't have been so worried without a good reason, I should have trusted you. I'm sorry." 

Those two words almost broke Simon's hard-won control, and he let go of his sister's hand to grip the side of the display. "Yes, you should have," he ground out. "And because you didn't, we've been fugitives for the last two years, hiding out on the Rim." Both elder Tams winced, and bitter satisfaction roiled in his gut. 

Suddenly Mal's voice came from behind him. "We need to wrap this up, doc." 

Regan's eyes widened, overhearing. "Where are you? We'll send a ship for you, so you can come home." 

"We're not going back." All eyes turned to River as she spoke for the first time. "We have a new home now. New family, new friends, new life. Not going back." 

Simon nodded as Gabriel opened his mouth to protest. "River's right. We've found a new home out here, and we're not returning to Osiris. We just wanted to let you know we were okay, and that you can stop searching. We may contact you again, but I can't be certain." 

Regan had closed her eyes at his words, but opened them again, pain filling them. "Just tell me, please - are you happy?" 

Simon turned his head a little to look straight at Jayne, whose eyes hadn't left his face during the entire conversation. "Yes, mother, in fact I'd say we've never been happier in our lives." He looked down at River, who nodded and smiled. "Don't worry about us, we'll be just fine. But we have to go now." 

"Thank you for contacting us, children. Please remember, we love you very much," their mother said, and Gabriel nodded, apparently not trusting himself to speak. Simon touched the keypad and the screen went dark. River put her arms around him, and he hugged her back, trying to stop himself from shaking to pieces. Then strong arms reached into the booth and drew them outside, and Simon laid his head on Jayne's chest as the merc held them both. 

"Mal?" River chirped after a moment, and they all jumped. "Can we go home now?" 

"Yeah, mei mei, we can go home. Come on, folks, let's get back to the boat." He raised his hand to Zoe and Book who were standing a few yards away, and Zoe acknowledged the gesture. Simon released his sister so they could walk, but Jayne didn't remove his arm from around the younger man, knowing it was kuang zhe de but afraid Simon would disappear if he let go. 

They made it back to the ship without incident, Mal hitting the com the moment they stepped onboard and telling Wash to take off. River ran off, and Simon knew she was going to the engine room to talk to Kaylee. The others also disappeared, leaving just him and Jayne in the cargo bay. 

Feeling how tense Simon still was, Jayne walked them to the couch outside the infirmary and sat them both down. They sat in silence for a while, then Jayne asked, "You okay?" 

Simon nodded. "I will be. That was just as hard as I thought it was going to be." He looked around the room, and calm finally settled over him for the first time that day. "But I lived through it, and now we're home." 

"Yeah." Jayne paused, then deciding he needed to know the answer, asked, "so did ya mean what ya said to yer parents? 'Bout bein' happy an' all?" 

"Yes, I did. I meant every word." Simon glanced up at him. "What about you? Are you happy?" 

"Yeah." Jayne drew him down so they lay flat on the couch facing each other, and gave Simon a slow, deep kiss, running his fingers through his hair. "Sleep now. I'll take care of ya," he whispered. Simon settled so his face was in the crook of Jayne's neck, and secure in his lover's arms, he allowed himself to sleep. 

~fin 

translations  
ge ge - elder brother  
di yu - hell   
hundan - bastard   
wo de ma - mother of god  
mei mei - little sister  
kuang zhe de - nuts 

* * *

 

 

 

 

 

 

Title:   **Home, Chapter 5**   
Series Name:   **Home**   
Author:   **noandwhere**   
Details:   **Series**  |  **PG**  |  ***slash***  |  **13k**  |  **07/06/06**   
Characters:  Jayne, Simon, Other \- with the rest of the crew   
Pairings:  Jayne/Simon   
  



End file.
